CSIS illegal data storage ‘gross abuse of power’: NDP

Revelations that Canada’s spy agency has been illegally storing data not directly related to threats against national security for at least a decade continued to reverberate on Parliament Hill Friday.

NDP justice critic Murray Rankin and public safety critic Matthew Dubé held a morning press conference to condemn the government for not revealing the behaviour, and to stress the need for committee of parliamentarians empowered to get to the bottom of such practices.

“I think it reveals a gross abuse of power by Canada’s spy agency,” said Rankin. “This case makes clear the need for strong oversight of Canada’s security agencies … The bill which is before Parliament, Bill C-22, just simply doesn’t do the job.”

In a ruling released Thursday afternoon, the Federal Court slammed the country’s spies for not disclosing a program in place since 2006 that retains and uses “associated data” collected in the course of warranted surveillance.

The metadata collected include information such as phone numbers and email addresses of Canadians who might have had contact with someone being surveilled under a warrant.

“A strong and timely remedial plan is required to assure the Federal Court about the issue of candour,” said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale in a press conference Friday morning, stressing the case shows the Security Intelligence Review Committee did its job by flagging this issue and bringing it to the Federal Court’s attention.

“I will discuss with the executive management of the service how they plan to respond to this judgment in full consultation with the Department of Justice,” Goodale said when asked specifically whether anyone might be fired over the metadata program.

The news came after a damning week for privacy rights in Canada, hot on the heels of revelations that the Montreal police and the Sûreté du Québec had both used warrants to keep tabs on journalists.

A Quebec judge has agreed to seal data collected by Montreal police from the cellphone of La Presse columnist Patrick Lagace. A lawyer for the Montreal newspaper was in court today seeking to ensure the phone numbers of ‘s sources are kept confidential and out of police hands.

In recent days, Montreal and Quebec provincial police have admitted that Lagace is one of several journalists who were placed under surveillance and had their cellphone logs tapped.

The Quebec government has announced an inquiry will be held into the monitoring.

While Goodale and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have both refused to state clearly whether Mounties have monitored Canadian journalists, RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said Tuesday night he is not aware of the force being granted any warrants in the past year to surveil reporters.

Goodale did say in an appearance before the House of Commons public safety committee Tuesday night that the proposed committee of parliamentarians tasked with reviewing national security could launch an investigation if it had reports of similar monitoring of journalists by federal law enforcement agencies.

NDP and Conservative members of that committee have, however, expressed the concern that several significant exemptions to the new committee’s proposed powers would leave it powerless to actually compel disclosure — namely, the fact that ministers have the power to veto disclosure if asked to by intelligence agencies, including CSIS, and that the prime minister would get to review and request redactions to the committee’s reports to Parliament.